Ethiopia‟s vision of becoming a middle-income economy.3 Accordingly, priority is given to improving the quality and efficiency of education at all levels and to achieve the millennium development goals. To achieve these, various strategic directions have been laid out under the education and training sector, including vocational education and training as well as higher education development. The health sector development program was also designed in line with the GTP to support overall policies, strategies and targets.4 The highest priority areas for the health sector development program have been identified as maternal and newborn care, child health, and the halting and reversing of the spread of major communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.5The core elements of the health strategy are decentralization of the health care system, development of the preventive, promotional and curative components of health care, assurance of accessibility of health care for all segments of the population and the promotion of increased private sector and NGO participation in the health sector.6 In recent years, Ethiopia has registered high economic growth and has become one of the top fastest growing economies in the world. Over the last ten years, between 2002/3 and 2012/13, the annual average growth rate of GDP was 10.9 %. The agriculture, industry and service sectors‟ annual average growth was 9.3%, 12.2% and 12.4 % respectively.7 The country‟s major efforts to achieve the MDGs has registered significant results overall. The stable macroeconomic environment in the country and the double-digit growth, in turn, contributed to enhancement of efforts in regard to the advancement of protection and promotion of human rights. In sum, the Government has put in place plans to realize accelerated and sustained growth that contributes to poverty eradication which continues to expand the infrastructural development the road network, railways, energy, telecommunication, potable water supply and irrigation development and urban and construction development for economic growth, employment creation, and social welfare. GTP, page 86, para 2 GTP, page 91, para 4 5GTP, page 91, para 4 6 GTP, page 92, para 1 7Available at http://www.mofed.gov.et/English/Resources/Documents/ 3 4 14

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